As we get ready for Pillars tomorrow and begin the two game ultimatum for Coach Eguma, I want to take a moment for some house cleaning. It is Saturday after all, and isn’t that what Saturdays are mostly for? Rest, cleaning, and then a bit of football. That is what growing up in Aba always served up.
To begin with, the Nigerian Football Federation came under serious heat this week as fans started asking questions about the funds received from FIFA and how those funds have been spent. For those not very conversant with X (Twitter), it got so heated that it caught the attention of the House of Representatives.
Now, the folks at the House of Reps are not saints by any stretch, but the week ended with them setting up a committee to investigate the matter. What will come out of that investigation will only be clear with time. Yet the lesson here is simple — if you are managing public funds, you are not beyond accountability.
Speaking of accountability, I learned something worrying about how some NPFL clubs handle payments. In some clubs, accountants are reportedly paying players through their own personal bank accounts instead of the club’s official account. Imagine being a striker at a club like Enyimba and suddenly realizing your salary alert is no longer coming from the Enyimba account, but from the personal account of a club official.
At first, it may not seem like a big deal. But you have to stop and ask: Why? Why is my paycheck coming from someone’s personal account? How did club funds end up there? And why is my payment suddenly short by ten or twenty thousand naira? Now you are getting the drift.
Underlying all these hideous acts is one word — greed. Greed is what makes a person discontent with what they earn and eager to take from someone else. It does not matter to them that the other person needs that money. It does not matter that this footballer’s career is short, fragile, and dependent on every matchday paycheck.
This same greed is why Enyimba is abandoning injured players. Players whose futures depend on the bodies they risk every week. It does not matter what public image you try to put out. Greed always exposes itself. And when it does, it makes even the most polished faces look disgusting.
Meanwhile, someone drew my attention to a piece of news a few days ago. I will literally copy and paste it here:
“A quiet internal restructuring has taken place within the club’s management. Completesports.com findings reveal that Sporting Director Ifeanyi Ekwueme has had his role reduced, with financial responsibilities now reassigned to Chief of Staff, Sam Anozie.
Meanwhile, long-serving Team Manager Prince Okey Nwabeke now oversees matchday logistics.”
The rest of that report is not important to today’s discussion. But it tells a story; changes are happening quietly, while the real issues remain loudly unresolved. Reshuffling offices and swapping titles will not fix a system that is morally weak. Until accountability becomes culture and not performance, this cycle of greed and decay will continue.
Tomorrow, we face Kano Pillars — a familiar name, an old rivalry, and now, another test of pride. The pitch will tell one story, but what happens behind closed doors will define everything else. Because, if a club cannot handle basic welfare, discipline, and honesty, no amount of tactics or substitutions will save it.
So yes, as we wait for kickoff, maybe Saturday really is for cleaning. Not just our homes, but our conscience too.
Back tomorrow.
‘EnyimbaEnyi
